Jeffrey D. Sadow is an associate professor of political science at Louisiana State University Shreveport. If you're an elected official, political operative or anyone else upset at his views, don't go bothering LSUS or LSU System officials about that because these are his own views solely.
This publishes five days weekly with the exception of 7 holidays. Also check out his Louisiana Legislature Log especially during legislative sessions (in "Louisiana Politics Blog Roll" below).

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5.10.17

Seeing as the law makes little sense, why does Louisiana’s
Republican Rep. Garret
Graves want to die on the Jones Act hill?

Better known as the Merchant
Marine Act of 1920, among other things the federal statute prohibits transshipment
among U.S. ports by foreign-flagged vessels. It has provisions for specific and
general waivers, and GOP Pres. Donald Trumpenacted
the latter for ten days regarding Puerto Rico in the aftermath of the
recent hurricane disasters inflicted upon the islands.

This launched
Graves into criticism mode, who called it a solution looking for a problem.
He argued that relief efforts suffered more from internal distribution on the
main island than in getting stuff there. He noted a majority of Puerto Rico’s
commerce already came from foreign vessels and said it would cost Gulf Coast
shippers jobs.

4.10.17

If Louisiana wishes to use cameras as an enforcement
tool in child care centers, it needs to clarify potential use of these.

In August, the Board
of Elementary and Secondary Education, which regulates these businesses, promulgated
a rule that would allow inspectors to review video recordings. Nothing requires
a licensed facility to have this equipment or that it include audio. Operators
argue that their voluntary installation of such devices occurs primarily for
their own employee oversight and as a selling point for client families, as
parents can hook into video feeds to monitor their children. Perhaps only a
quarter of all sites have cameras running.

According to the rule, inspectors have
access to recordings whenever they visit during operating hours or the facility
has children present, although no legal instrument defines how long centers
archive these. Inspectors may show up without provocation.

After two Sundays ago, when National Football
League players in significant number began not acknowledging the U.S. flag or
standing at attention facing it during playing of the National Anthem, school
officials rightly suspected copycat action would appear on the horizon as well.
If nothing else, children obey faddishness and let themselves get swept up in
trends, in this instance a reaction by professional players against remarks
made by Pres. Donald Trump denigrating those who acted as such.

To cut this trendiness off at the pass, on
instructions from the Bossier Parish School Board Superintendent Scott Smith in
no
uncertain terms mandated that students choosing to participate in
extracurricular activities such as football have to observe decorum regarding
the flag and Anthem. The district’s high school principals, such as Parkway High
School’s Principal Waylon Bates, drove the point home further by issuing a
letter to athletes and parents demanding standing in a respectful manner during
the Anthem. Violators refusing to do that could be punished by coaches and
school officials.

2.10.17

Does the outsider approach to winning campaigns
still have legs, after its greatest victory last year? Louisiana candidates in
elections later this month hope so.

Since political newcomer Republican Pres. Donald Trump
knocked off the most establishmentarian of establishment candidates (who
still doesn’t understand why she lost), more people than ever running for
office seem eager to embrace the outsider approach – running against a
government’s elected class as a whole. As proof, high profile contests at both
the state and local level in Louisiana illustrate this.

Republican treasurer candidate Angéle
Davis from the gun has run a campaign stressing her congruence with Trump.
A number of her communications demonstrate the linkage,
where she expressly brings up Trump’s agenda and allies herself to that, despite
the fact little of it directly addresses the role of treasurer. Within five
seconds of her recorded voice calls, she informs listeners that she aligns
herself with his ideas.

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